Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to user interface automation and more particularly to user interface shortcuts and icons.
Description of the Related Art
The user interface is the visual interface between program logic and an end user in connection with a computer program. Generally, in a user interface an end user selects a user interface control such as a button in order to activate the button in response to which the program logic of a corresponding program. A well, within the user interface, information is presented to the end user by the program logic. However, much of the role of the user interface is to respond to end user input and to present the outcome of the user input by the program logic.
The user interface in respect to an operating system often provides a portion through which shortcut actions may be invoked through an aggregation of different buttons in a configuration often referred to as a palette or icon bar or button bar. Generally, in most instances, the button bar must be manually configured so that each button refers specifically to a particular operation of the operating system, or a particular computer program executing with the assistance of the operating system. In some instances, the button bar is pre-configured in a manner deemed most suitable by the software publisher.
A Web actions palette may be viewed as a special case of a button bar in which each button in the button bar is configured to invoke a resource request for a particular resource in connection with a Web site. A typical Web actions palette itself may be formed as a user interface control defined with the markup of a Web page allowing quick access by the end user to one or more other Web pages of one or more other different Web sites, or mobile applications providing an interface to the one or more other different Web sites. Indeed, the Web actions palette has found wide application in promoting the “sharing” of Web content on a Web page onto the profile pages of different social media Web sites.